VA Coronavirus Deaths Double As State Reports 3 New Victims

VIRGINIA — State health officials reported the deaths of three people in southeastern Virginia Sunday, lifting the number of deaths in the commonwealth from the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, to six. All three victims were women in their 80s who had been hospitalized, according to the Peninsula Health District.

The three women were from Newport News, Williamsburg and James City County. One was a resident of a long-term care facility. The health district said the women acquired the coronavirus through an unknown source. The cause of death was respiratory failure caused by COVID-19.

Five of the six people who have died in Virginia lived in the area of the state overseen by the Peninsula Health District.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce three additional victims of COVID-19. We at VDH express our condolences to those families,” Peninsula Acting Health Director Dr. Steve Julian said Sunday in a statement. “Increased public cooperation with the publicized guidelines that lessen the spread of the disease will reduce the incidence of deaths related to COVID-19.”

Earlier Sunday, a second presumptive positive case of the coronavirus was identified at The Kensington Falls Church, an assisted living and memory care facility on W. Broad Street. The first case involved a resident at The Kensington who had been in isolation since he began showing symptoms of respiratory illness on March 14.

On Saturday, the Fairfax County Health Department reported its first death related to the coronavirus. The patient was a Fairfax County man in his 60s who was hospitalized. He was exposed to the coronavirus through contact with a previously reported case, the health department said. The cause of death was identified as respiratory failure due to COVID-19.

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The Peninsula Health District said two of the three women who died had cases of the coronavirus that were included in the 219 confirmed cases reported by the state earlier Sunday. None of the three deaths have been added to the Virginia Department of Health's coronavirus webpage.

The number of confirmed positives cases in Virginia increased by 67, or 44 percent, Sunday over the 152 reported Saturday.

The first death in Virginia was a man in his 70s, who was hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus. The man, from James City County, died March 14. Last Monday, state officials announced a second person in the Peninsula Health District had died from the coronavirus. The man acquired the coronavirus through an unknown source. The cause of death was respiratory failure as a result of COVID-19.

The Peninsula Health District Call Center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. For coronavirus questions, residents should call 757-594-7069.

COVID-19 can range from mild to respiratory illness, with symptoms of fever, cough and difficult breathing appearing two to 14 days after exposure. Older adults and individuals with chronic health conditions like heart disease and lung disease are at higher risk for severe illness. The virus is thought to spread primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

To lower the risk of respiratory germ spread, including the coronavirus, the Virginia Department of Health encourages the following actions:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer only if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Avoid non-essential travel
• Avoid contact with sick people.
• Practice social distancing. Maintain at least six feet of space between yourself and other individuals when out in public.
• Avoid crowds of more than 10 people.

RELATED:

• Second New Coronavirus Case Found At The Kensington Falls Church
• Virginia In Early Stages Of Coronavirus 'Curve Rising': Governor
• First Coronavirus Death In Fairfax County Reported